Third party regulation of calls through a particular line based on a call context

ABSTRACT

A method, system, and program for third party regulation of calls through a line based on a call context are provided. Third party regulation criteria identify individuals who are regulated for calling into or receiving calls from a particular line. For each call received at the line, the identity of the caller is detected. For each call placed from the line, the identity of the callee is detected. Then, the call is regulated according to the relevant third party regulation criteria, such that a third party is enabled to regulate all calls from or to a particular line without being a direct party to the calls.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to the following co-pendingapplications:

(1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/08,014; and

(2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/08,017.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates in general to telecommunications and, inparticular, to call party identification. Still more particularly, thepresent invention relates to regulating calls through a line accordingto third party criteria.

2. Description of the Related Art

Telephone service has created communication channels worldwide, andthose channels continue to expand with the advent of cellular and otherwireless services. A person can simply take a telephone off-hook anddial a destination number or press a send button and be connected to atelephone line around the world.

Many businesses provide telephone lines to employees. Use of such linesis typically only regulated by business policies designating thepurposes of use of business telephone lines.

In some cases, a business will require each incoming call to be answeredby a receptionist so that the name and purpose of each call may beascertained and recorded before the caller is allowed to communicatewith the requested employee. However, more often, a private switchingnetwork implemented for handling business lines allows employees todirectly receive and place calls. Such private switching networks oftenutilize sequential phone numbers, such as 412-333-0101 through 0130.

Headhunters are an example of a type of person that a business may notapprove of in the business's phone usage policy. Particularly wherephone numbers are distributed sequentially, a head hunter may acquireone phone number for an employee within a business and dial numberssequentially to access other employees. In some cases, a privateswitching network may be set to block calls from a line numberdetermined to be used by a headhunter. However, just blocking aparticular line number does not block the headhunter from callingemployees from a different line number. In addition, there may bemanagers or others who are utilizing a headhunter for searching for newemployees.

Calls placed to or received from line numbers other than those linenumbers associated with headhunters may also be blocked. However, aswith blocking a headhunter line number, simply blocking line numbersdoes not effectively regulate communications by employees.

Therefore, in view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to providea method, system, and program, for regulating phone calls according tothe identities of the parties to the call, rather than just the linenumbers accessed for a call. In addition, it would be advantageous toapply third party criteria for regulating phone calls received or placedthrough a line. Moreover, it would be advantageous to redirect regulatedphone calls to another department of a business.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, it is therefore an object of the presentinvention to provide an improved telecommunications system.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method,system and program for improved call party identification.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method,system and program for regulating phone calls according to third partycall context regulation criteria.

According to one aspect of the present invention, third party regulationcriteria identify individuals who are regulated for calling into orreceiving calls from a particular line. For each call received at theline, the identity of the caller is detected. For each call placed fromthe line, the identity of the callee is detected. Then, the call isregulated according to the relevant third party regulation criteria,such that a third party is enabled to regulate all calls from or to aparticular line without being a direct party to the calls.

All objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent in the following detailed written description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are setforth in the appended claims. The invention itself however, as well as apreferred mode of use, further objects and advantages thereof, will bestbe understood by reference to the following detailed description of anillustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a network environment in which thepresent invention may be implemented;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an identification system inaccordance with the method, system, and program of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of the flow of a call for contextregulation in accordance with the method, system, and program of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates an illustrative example of regulating all callsreceived to a line according to third party criteria in accordance withthe method, system, and program of the present invention;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative example of regulating a call receivedaccording to third party criteria designated for a caller and calleepair in accordance with the method, system, and program of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 illustrates an illustrative example of regulating an outgoingcall according to third party criteria designated for a caller andcallee pair in accordance with the method, system, and program of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative example of regulating an outgoing callaccording to third party criteria for a caller and callee pair inaccordance with the method, system, and program of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of a signal flow and processing of acall in accordance with the method, system, and program of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 depicts a block diagram of a context inference service inaccordance with the method, system, and program of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of a context regulation service inaccordance with the method, system, and program of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 depicts a high level logic flowchart of a process and programfor controlling a context inference service in accordance with themethod, system, and program of the present invention; and

FIG. 12 illustrates a high level logic flowchart of a process andprogram for controlling a context regulation service in accordance withthe method, system, and program of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A method, system, and program for regulating calls according to thirdparty criteria are provided. In a preferred embodiment, a third party,such as a business, provides a telephone system to a first or secondparty to a call, such as an employee. In another example, a third party,such as a parent, may provide a telephone line to a first or secondparty, such as a child. However, the present invention is not limited tocontrol of a line by the party providing the line. In addition, whilethe present invention is described with reference to the third partybeing different from the first or second party, in alternateembodiments, the third party may also be represented in the first orsecond party to a call.

For purposes of the present invention, context may include, but is notlimited to, the identity of the caller or callee, the device identityand owner, the location of the caller and callee, the path of a call,and billing information for the caller and callee. Location of thecaller and callee may include, but is not limited to, the time zone,country, state, city, building location, or GPS location of a caller orcallee.

Determination of context and regulation of calls according to contextare preferably performed by a context inference service and a contextrating service located within an Intelligent Peripheral of the trustedtelephone network, located within a telecommunications (Telco)Application service outside the trusted telephone network and/or locatedwithin a private switching network. As will be further described, theTelco application service located outside the trusted telephone networkis enabled to provide services to callers and callees via enhancedsecurity channels.

Identity authentication is preferably performed by authenticating thevoices of the caller and callee. Identity authentication may beinitiated by the origin device originating the call, the intermediarydevice processing the call, or the destination device receiving thecall. Each of the devices may access a third party or external server toperform the identity authentication. Performance of identityauthentication has different advantages depending on the deviceinitiating the identity authentication.

While as described, authentication of a caller or callee identity isdescribed with emphasis placed on voice authentication, other methods ofcaller and callee identity authentication may also be performed. Voicesamples utilized for voice authentication are just one of multiple typesof biometric sampling. For example, a caller or callee may locallyprovide an eye scan, a fingerprint, and other biophysical identifiersthat are transmitted within or outside the trusted network toauthenticate the identity of the caller or callee.

Other context information is received, determined and inferred fromcontext clues. Context clues may include the identities of the callerand callee, the line numbers, the line subscriber profiles,caller/callee profiles, and other parameters associated with the call.As a call is transferred and forwarded, context clues for each portionof a call path are gathered and utilized to update the context of thecall.

Before or during a call, the call may be regulated by third partyregulation criteria. The third party regulation criteria preferablyregulates calls based on the context of the call, rather than just aline number accessed during a call. The caller or the callee may beregulated according to the third party regulation criteria.

For purposes of the present invention, telephony devices are termedorigin devices when utilized for origination of a call to anintermediary device and are termed destination devices when utilized forreceipt of a call from an intermediary device. Subscribers to a call aretermed callers when originating a call and are termed callees whenreceiving a call. Callers and callees may or may not be line subscribersto the particular telephony device utilized.

In addition, for purposes of the present invention, a trusted telephonenetwork preferably includes a traditional trusted telephone network,however also includes, but is not limited to, an Internet Protocoltelephony network, a digital telephone network, and other communicationnetworks.

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding ofthe present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled inthe art that the present invention may be practiced without thesespecific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devicesare shown in block diagram form to avoid unnecessarily obscuring thepresent invention.

With reference now to the figures, and, in particular, with referencenow to FIG. 1, there is depicted a block diagram of a networkenvironment in which the present invention may be implemented. While thepresent invention is described with reference to one type of networkenvironment, it will be understood by one with skill in the art that thepresent invention may be implemented in alternate types of networkenvironments.

First, the network environment incorporates a Public Switching TelephoneNetwork (PSTN) 10. As is known in the art the core of PSTN 10 mayinclude multiple telephone networks, each owned by one of multipleindependent service providers. Each telephone line is carried by anindependent service provider within PSTN 10 and is typically assigned toat least one subscriber.

Switching of a call within an independent service provider's telephonenetwork is considered trusted movement within a trusted network becausethe call remains within the company's telephone network infrastructure.However, calls may be transferred from one service provider's telephonenetwork to another service provider's telephone network in generallytrusted movement. Generally, service providers are in competition withone another and therefore there is general trust in transferring a call,but not trust in sharing of subscriber information beyond a subscribernumber and name from one service provider to the next without securityfeatures or other arrangements.

Advantageously, each telephone network within PSTN 10 may access a datanetwork functioning as an extension to PSTN 10 via an Intranet. Datanetworks may include, for example, subscriber profiles, billinginformation, and preferences that are utilized by a service provider tospecialize services. Transfer of information between a serviceprovider's data network and telephone network is trusted movement insharing of information.

Further, each telephone network within PSTN 10 may access server systemsexternal to PSTN 10 in the Internet Protocol over the Internet or anIntranet. Such external server systems may include an enterprise server,an Internet service provider (ISP), an access service provider (ASP), apersonal computer, and other computing systems that are accessible via anetwork. In the present embodiment, transfer of information between PSTN10 and server systems accessible via a network 20 is untrusted andtherefore may require verification and additional security. Network 20may be preferably considered an external network.

Network 20 may comprise a private network, an Intranet, or a publicInternet Protocol network. Specifically, telco application server 22,generic application server 24, pervasive application server 26, andsystems management server 28 represent server systems external to PSTN10 that may be accessed by PSTN 10 over network 20.

In particular, telco application server 22 preferably includes multipletelco specific service applications for providing services to callstransferred to a server external to PSTN 10. In particular, a call maybe transferred from PSTN 10 to telco application server 22 to receive atleast one service and then the call is transferred back to PSTN 10. PSTN10 preferably brokers the connection between the telephony device andtelco application server 22. Such services may also be provided to callswithin PSTN 10, however placing such services at a third party such astelco application server 22, is advantageous because adding services andinformation to PSTN 10 is time consuming and costly when compared withthe time and cost of adding the services through telco applicationserver 22.

Advantageously, as will be further described, the identity of both thecaller and the callee may be authenticated by one of telephony devices 8a–8 n, PSTN 10, or by telco application server 22. By authenticating theactual identity of the person making a phone call and the personreceiving the phone call, rather than the identification of a devicefrom which a call is made and received, an enhanced specialization ofservices to subscribers may be performed.

An authentication service within telco application server 22 may includeidentification and verification of the identity of a caller and/orcallee of a particular call. Such a service may require that subscribersprovide voice samples when setting up a subscription. The stored voicesamples may then be compared against voice samples received for aparticular call in order to authenticate the identity of a currentcaller or callee of the particular call.

Generic application server 24 preferably accesses independent serversystems that provide services. For example, a messaging server, afinancial server, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) server, and databasemanagement system (DBMS) server may be accessed in HTTP via network 20.Each of these servers may include a telco service application thatrequires authentication of the subscriber before access is granted. Forexample, a financial server may provide a telco service application thatallows an authenticated subscriber to access current financial recordsand request stock quotes from the financial server.

Pervasive application server 26 manages services for wirelesslynetworked devices. In particular, pervasive application server 26preferably handles distribution of wireless packets of voice and data towirelessly networked devices utilizing a standard such as shortmessaging service (SMS) messaging or other 3G standards.

Systems management server 28 manages subscriber personalization via theweb. In particular, systems management server 28 includes browsertechnology that includes a provisioning console 30 for establishing asubscriber profile and a management console 32 for managing and updatingthe subscriber profile. A subscriber preferably accesses the consoles ofsystems management server 28 via the Internet utilizing a computingsystem, such as computing systems 34 a–34 n.

The subscriber profile may be accessed at systems management server 28by other external servers and PSTN 10 via network 20. In addition, alocal copy of a subscriber profile updated in systems management server28 may be stored within a particular service provider's data network ortelephone network. Each service provider may specify the types ofpreferences and other information included within a subscriber profile.

In particular, a subscriber may provide a voice imprint whenestablishing a subscriber profile through provisioning console 30. Othertypes of authentication information may also be provided including, butnot limited to, a password, an eye scan, a smart card ID, and othersecurity devices. In addition, a subscriber may designate billingpreferences, shopping preferences, buddy list preferences, and otherpreferences that enable specialized service to the subscriber when thesubscriber's identity is authenticated from the voice imprint or otheridentification.

Advantageously, a management agent is built into each external server tomonitor the services provided by each server according to theauthenticated subscriber receiving the services. By monitoring serviceoutput according to subscriber, the subscriber may then be billedaccording to each use of a service.

PSTN 10 preferably includes both voice and data signaling networks thatinterface with network 20 via gateways. Each of the gateways acts as aswitch between PSTN 10 and network 20 that may compress a signal,convert the signal into Internet Protocol (other protocol) packets, androute the packets through network 20 to the appropriate server.

In particular, the voice network interfaces with network 20 throughmedia gateway 14 which supports multiple protocol gateways including,but not limited to, SIP. SIP is a signaling protocol for Internetconferencing, telephony, presence, events notification and instantmessaging.

In addition, in particular, the data signaling network interfaces withnetwork 20 through signaling gateway 12 which supports multiple protocolgateways including, but not limited to, parlay protocol gateways and SS7protocol gateways. Internet servers, such as telco application server 22may include protocol agents that are enabled to interact with multipleprotocols encapsulated in Internet Protocol packets including, but notlimited to, SS7 protocol, parlay protocol, and SIP.

Looking into PSTN 10, a telephone network typically includes multipleswitches, such as central office switches 11 a–11 n, that originate,terminate, or tandem calls. Central office switches 11 a–11 n utilizevoice trunks for transferring voice communications and signaling linksfor transferring signals between signaling points.

Between signaling points, one central office switch sends signalingmessages to other central office switches via signaling links to setup,manage, and release voice circuits required to complete a call. Inaddition, between signaling points, central office switches 11 a–11 nquery service control points (SCPs) 15 to determine how to route a call.SCPs 15 send a response to the originating central office switchcontaining the routing number(s) associated with the dialed number.

SCPs 15 may be general purpose computers storing databases of callprocessing information. While in the present embodiment SCPs 15 aredepicted locally within PSTN 10, in alternate embodiments SCPs 15 may bepart of an extended network accessible to PSTN 10 via a network.

One of the functions performed by SCPs 15 is processing calls to andfrom various subscribers. For example, an SCP may store a record of theservices purchased by a subscriber, such as a privacy service. When acall is made to the subscriber, the SCP provides record of the privacyservice to initiate an announcement to a caller to identify themself tothe subscriber with the privacy service who is being called.Advantageously, authentication of the subscriber receiving the call maybe required before the privacy service is initiated for that subscriber.

In particular, network traffic between signaling points may be routedvia a packet switch called an service transfer point (STP) 13. STP 13routes each incoming message to an outgoing signaling link based onrouting information. Further, in particular, the signaling network mayutilize an SS7 network implementing SS7 protocol.

Central office switches 11 a–11 n may also send voice and signalingmessages to intelligent peripherals (IP) 17 via voice trunks andsignaling channels. IP 17 provides enhanced announcements, enhanceddigit collection, and enhanced speech recognition capabilities.

According to an advantage of the present invention, the identity of acaller is authenticated according to voice authentication. Voiceauthentication is preferably performed by first identifying a subscriberby matching the name or other identifier spoken with a subscriber nameor identifier. Next, voice authentication requires verifying that thevoice audio signal matches that of the identified subscriber. However,in alternate embodiments, the identity of a caller may be authenticatedaccording to passwords, eye scans, encryption, and other securitydevices.

In particular, to perform subscriber authentication of audio signalsreceived from callers, IP 17 may include storage for subscriber specifictemplates or voice feature information, for use in authenticatingsubscribers based on speech. If a subscriber specific template is notstored on a local IP 17, then a remote IP containing the subscriberspecific template may be accessed via a network. In addition, local IP17 may access systems management server 28 or another repository forvoice imprints to access the subscriber specific template.

Where IP 17 authenticates the identity of a caller (e.g. the subscriberplacing a call), a voice identifier (VID) representing the authenticatedcaller identity is transferred as a signal for identifying the caller.In addition, where IP 17 authenticates the identity of a callee (e.g.the subscriber receiving a call), a reverse VID (RVID) including thecallee identity is transferred as a signal for identifying the callee.

Alternatively, to perform subscriber authentication of audio signalsreceived from callers, PSTN 10 may broker a caller identityauthentication service from telco application server 22. In particular,a signaling channel is opened between central office switches 11 a–11 nand telco application server 22 via signaling gateway 12. In addition, avoice channel is opened between central office switches 11 a–11 n andtelco application server 22 via media gateway 14.

Because telco application server 22 is located outside of the trustednetwork, there may be a time delay associated with establishing aconnection to telco application server 22 and authenticating theidentity of a caller that is longer than a time delay present where acaller identity is authenticated by IP 17.

In addition, because telco application server 22 is located outside ofthe trusted network, it is advantageous to establish a level of securityfor transactions between telco application server 22 and central officeswitches 11 a–11 n, wherein the level of security is suitable foruntrusted communications. A level of security may be implemented byutilizing security based protocols, such as the secure socket layer, andby applying ordinary encryption. In particular, the level of securitypreferably protects the communication channel between telco applicationserver and PSTN 10 and authenticates the identity of the server fromwhich a caller identity authentication service is accessed. Therefore anadditional feature of signaling gateway 12 and media gateway 14 issecurity verification.

Advantageously, VIDs indicate through text, voice, or video the identityof a caller. For example, a caller's name may be transferred as theidentity of a caller. Alternatively, a video clip stored with thesubscriber template may be transferred as the identity of a caller.Additionally, VIDs may indicate the identity of the device utilized by acaller to provide context for a call. For purposes of the presentinvention, the business that the caller is calling on behalf of is alsoindicated in the VID. Further, VIDs may indicate which system or systemshave authenticated the caller identity.

After a VID and/or RVID are determined by IP 17, IP 17 and SCP 15 maycommunicate to designate which services are available according to VIDand RVID. Advantageously, by designating services according to a VIDand/or RVID, subscribers are provided with services and billed for thoseservices independent of the devices utilized by subscribers. Inparticular, a 1129 protocol or other protocol may be utilized to enablesignal communications between IP 17 and SCPs 15.

In addition, as previously described, caller authentication to determineVIDs and RVIDs may be performed by an external system, such as telcoapplication server 22. The VID or RVID returned from telco applicationserver 22 may be transferred from central office switches 11 a–11 n toSCP 15 in order to access a subscriber profile associated with the VIDor RVID. Alternatively, the VID or RVID may first transfer to IP 17,where additional verification of the caller identity is performed. Forexample, IP 17 may control distribution of the VID to the caller, wherethe caller is prompted to enter a password or additional information. IP17 may then initiate loading the caller profile into central officeswitches 11 a–11 n if the additional caller input is verifiable for theVID.

An origin telephony device or destination telephony device may alsodetermine a VID and/or RVID for the caller and/or callee of a call. Inparticular, telephony devices 8 a–8 n and call centers 16 a–16 n mayfunction as origin and destination telephony devices. Each of thetelephony devices may include a database of voice templates that may bematched to authenticate the identity of a caller or callee. In addition,each of the telephony devices may access a third party, such as telcoapplication server 22, to authenticate the identity of the caller orcallee. In either case, the telephony device transmits a VID and/or RVIDwith a call to PSTN 10.

Telephony devices 8 a–8 n may include, but are not limited to wirelinedevices, wireless devices, pervasive device equipped with telephonyfeatures, a network computer, a facsimile, a modem, and other devicesenabled for network communication. Advantageously, as previouslydescribed, a voice authentication functioning device may be included ineach of telephony devices 8 a–8 n.

In addition, telephony devices 8 a–8 n may each incorporate a displaythat provides a visual output of a VID or RVID. Alternatively, such adisplay may be provided in a separate device connected to the line inparallel to telephones 8 a–8 n. Advantageously, the identity of theactual caller or actual callee is output to a display in associationwith a call. In addition, other context information about the callerincluding, but not limited to, the device from which the call originatesor is answered, ratings for a caller or callee, and other contextinformation may be output to a display in association with a call. Inparticular, where output of the identity of the actual caller or actualcallee is blocked, display of other context information may not beblocked, such that context for the call may be provided withoutrevealing the actual identity of the caller or callee.

Telephony devices 8 a–8 n are communicatively connected to PSTN 10 viawireline, wireless, ISDN, and other communication links. Preferably,connections to telephony devices 8 a–8 n provide digital transport fortwo-way voice grade type telephone communications and a channeltransporting signaling data messages in both directions betweentelephony devices 8 a-8 n and PSTN 10.

In addition to telephony devices 8 a–8 n, advanced telephone systems,such as call centers 16 a–16 n, may be communicatively connected to PSTN10 via wireline, wireless, ISDN and other communication links. Callcenters 16 a–16 n may include PBX systems, hold queue systems, privatenetwork systems, and other systems that are implemented to handledistribution of calls to multiple representatives or agents.

Returning to central office switches 11 a–11 n, typically, one centraloffice switch exists for each exchange or area served by the NXX digitsof an NXX-XXXX (seven digit) telephone number or the three digitsfollowing the area code digits (NPA) in a ten-digit telephone number.The service provider owning a central office switch also assigns atelephone number to each line connected to each of central officeswitches 11 a–11 n. The assigned telephone number includes the area code(NPA) and exchange code (NXX) for the serving central office and fourunique digits (XXXX).

Central office switches 11 a–11 n utilize office equipment (OE) numbersto identify specific equipment, such as physical links or circuitconnections. For example, a subscriber's line might terminate on a pairof terminals on the main distribution frame of one of central officeswitches 11 a–11 n. The switch identifies the terminals, and therefore aparticular line, by an OE number assigned to that terminal pair. For avariety of reasons, a service provider may assign different telephonenumbers to the one line at the same or different times. For example, alocal carrier may change the telephone number because a subscriber sellsa house and a new subscriber moves in and receives a new number.However, the OE number for the terminals and thus the line itselfremains the same.

On a normal call, a central office switch will detect an off-hookcondition on a line and provide a dial tone. The switch identifies theline by the OE number. The central office switch retrieves profileinformation corresponding to the OE number and off-hook line. Then, thecentral office switch receives the dialed digits from the off-hook lineterminal and routes the call. The central office switch may route thecall over trunks and possibly through one or more central officeswitches to the central office switch that serves the called party'sstation or line. The switch terminating a call to a destination willalso utilize profile information relating to the destination, forexample to transfer the call if appropriate, to apply distinctiveringing, etc.

Authentication of the identity of the caller is preferably initiated inIP 17 or telco application server 22. Once a VID for a caller isreceived at a central office switch, a context inference application isinitiated in IP 17 or telco application server 22. The context inferenceservice preferably requests a caller profile according to VID todetermine billing information and personal information about the caller.In addition, the context inference service preferably determines theidentity of the device utilized by accessing a device directory,prompting the caller to indicate the device identity, or other methods.Further, the location of the device may be inferred from informationprovided by the central office switch originating the call, a GPSlocation, and the location assigned to a line number. Other contextinformation, such as the subject matter of a call and the role in whicha caller is placing the call, are preferably determined as well. Thecontext information is preferably loaded with the VID at the centraloffice switch.

The context information may be filtered at the central office switchaccording to general filtering preferences indicated by a caller in thecaller profile. In addition, context information may be filteredaccording to caller filtering preferences specifically selected for thecallee. Context information is then transferred with the call routed byone or more central office switches to a destination central officeswitch that services the called party's station or line.

Then, the context information is forwarded with a caller VID to thecallee device. The callee is enabled to determine whether to answer acall, transfer the call to voice mail, or select from other callhandling options, based on knowing the identity of the caller and thecontext of the call.

In particular, the caller may provide the line number requested and/ormay enter an identifier for the intended callee. A search engine may beaccessed within IP 17 or telco application server 22 that queries atleast one device associated with a callee to attempt to locate theintended callee. A callee profile accessible according to the intendedcallee identity may include line number subscriptions and recently usedline numbers, such that the search engine may query those line numbersto locate the intended callee.

In addition, authentication of the identity of a callee answering thecall is preferably initiated in IP 17 or telco application server 22.Once a RVID for a callee is received at a central office switch, acontext inference application is initiated in IP 17 or telco applicationserver 22 to determine the context of the callee side of a call. Thecallee context information is preferably filtered according to calleepreferences and transferred to the caller, such that the caller isprovided with an identity of the callee.

As a call is forwarded or transferred to other callers and callees, IP17 or telco application server 22 are preferably initiated to update thecontext for a call. For example, the context may indicate the path ofline number accessed in a call and whether the call was transferred orforwarded.

Further, advantageously, a context regulation service located within IP17 or telco application server 22 preferably determines whether acurrent call should be blocked, transferred to a screening process, orcontrolled by other regulatory actions. The context regulation servicepreferably receives third party regulation criteria designating thecontext in which regulatory actions should be taken. Parties to a callmay be provided with a choice to allow regulation or regulation may berequired, particularly when a third party provides the telephone systemutilized by one of the parties to a call.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a block diagram of anidentification system in accordance with the method, system, and programof the present invention.

Origin device 40 is utilized by a caller to initiate a call. The calleris prompted by the device performing caller authentication to provide avoice utterance. A VID for the caller is provided to intermediary device42 from the device performing caller authentication. The VID is utilizedto access a caller profile that includes service preferences and billinginformation. In addition, the VID is transmitted with the call todestination device 44 for identifying the caller.

In general, caller identity authentication is performed by receiving avoice utterance from a caller, analyzing the voice utterance for soundqualities and content, and attempting to match the sound qualities andcontent of a voice utterance to a voice template previously recorded fora caller, to authenticate the identity of the caller. If there is amatch between the voice utterance and a voice template, then a VID isdetermined for the caller and utilized to authenticate the calleridentity for retrieving a caller profile and billing the caller.However, in alternate embodiments, the identity of a caller may beauthenticated according to passwords, eye scans, encryption, and otherbiometric methods.

Caller identity authentication may be initiated by origin device 40. Inparticular, origin device 40 may include voice templates and a featurefor performing the caller identity authentication. In addition, origindevice 40 may access a third party server 48 via network 20, where thirdparty server 48 may provide access to a database of voice templatesand/or perform the caller identity authentication. Origin device 40 thentransmits a VID determined for the caller to intermediary device 42 foruse in specifying services and billing for a call from origin device 40.Origin device 40 may include a caller telephony device, a PBX, a callcenter, a private switching system, network servers, feature servers,and other systems which provide call origination. Third party server 48may include a telco application server, a generic application server, adatabase management system server, and other systems that functionoutside trusted telephone network 46. In particular, intermediary device42 may facilitate communication between origin device 40 and network 20.

In addition, caller identity authentication may be initiated byintermediary device 42. Intermediary device 42 may include databasesystems that store voice templates and an IP for performing calleridentity authentication. In addition, intermediary device 42 may accesstelco application server 22 outside of trusted telephone network 46 vianetwork 20, where telco application server 22 provides a callerauthentication service and/or provides access to a database of voicetemplates. Intermediary device 42 may include a PSTN switching networkor networks. However, intermediary device 42 may also include a PBX, acall center, or other private switching system. Further, intermediarydevice 42 may include network servers, Websphere® (Websphere® is aregistered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)) servers, and other systems which provide call processing.

Further, caller identity authentication may be initiated by destinationdevice 44. Destination device 44 may include voice templates and afeature for performing the caller identity authentication. In addition,destination device 44 may access a third party server 49 via network 20,where third party server 49 may provide access to a database of voicetemplates and/or perform the caller identity authentication. Destinationdevice 44 will prompt a caller to provide a voice utterance at origindevice 40, where intermediary device 42 facilitates communicationsbetween origin device 40 and destination device 44. Destination device44 then determines and transmits a VID for the caller to intermediarydevice 42 for use in specifying services and billing for a call fromorigin device 40. Destination device 44 may include a callee telephonydevice, a PBX, a call center, a private switching system, networkservers, feature servers, and other systems which provide call receipt.Third party server 48 may include a telco application server, a genericapplication server, a database management system server, and othersystems that function outside trusted telephone network 46. Inparticular, intermediary device 42 may also facilitate communicationbetween destination device 44 and network 20.

Similarly, a destination device 44 is utilized by a callee to receive acall. Advantageously, an authenticated identity of the callee may bedetermined as an RVID. Callee identity authentication may be initiatedby origin device 40, intermediary device 42, or destination device 44,in a manner similar to initiation of caller identity authentication, asdescribed above.

In particular, both the identity of an intended callee and the identityof an accessed callee may be determined in RVIDS. The intended calleeRVID may be authenticated, for example, from a messaging system utilizedby the callee.

In addition to authenticating the identity of a caller or callee in aVID or RVID, the context of the call is preferably determined andtransmitted as part of the VID or RVID or separate therefrom. Origindevice 40, intermediary device 42, telco application server 22, and/ordestination device 44 may include context inference services thatperform context inference services. A context inference service mayutilize context information gathered from multiple databases and maygathered context information directly from a caller or callee inresponse to prompts.

Context may include, but is not limited to, an intended callee, asubject matter of a call, a device identity, the location of an originor destination device, billing information, service subscriptions, thepath of a call, and other information which may provide a caller orcallee with context of a call. Call context may indicate when a call ismade or received on behalf of another individual or business. Inaddition, call context may indicate in the path of a call whether abackup for the intended caller is accessed.

Information for determining the context of a call may be gathered from acaller or callee profile, from routing information utilized byintermediary 42 from a device directory, from systems management server28, or other databases of information. Particularly helpful fordetermining context, calendaring and other electronic schedulingdatabases included in a caller or callee profile may be utilized todetermine location, subject, and times available for a call. Inaddition, the context inference service may, for example, infer thesubject matter of a call as either business or personal based on theidentity of the device from which a call originates and the location ofthat device. Alternatively, the subject of a call as either a businesssubject or personal subject may be inferred from the billing informationcontext.

From the context of a call, a rating of the caller and/or callee may bedetermined by a context rating service executing within intermediarydevice 42 or telco application server 22. In particular, individualratings may be associated with each portion of the context of a call. Inparticular, the ratings are preferably determined based on previousratings for the caller, callee, and/or other context. In addition, bothglobally accessible and locally accessible databases may store previousratings.

In addition, from the context of a call, any required regulation of thecall may be determined by a context regulation service executing withinintermediary device 42, telco application server 22, or a privateswitching network. Most likely, a third party will designate contextbased criteria for regulating calls indicating the identities of partiesand identities of businesses called on behalf of to be regulated.However, other types of context, including, but not limited to, thelocation of parties, the subject of the call, the ratings of parties,and the events occurring during the call, may be designated as criteriafor regulating a call.

A VID or RVID may be transferred in multiple protocols, including, butnot limited to, Interface Definition Language (IDL) and ExtensibleMarkup Language (XML). A VID or RVID may include a range of information,where each type of information may be tagged or identified in some othermanner. For example, the following tagged VID may be transmitted torepresent an authenticated identity of a caller and context of the call:

-   -   [caller name] Jon Smith, sales person    -   [caller rating]+4    -   [caller device] Jane Doe's cell phone    -   [caller location] Central Time zone, Austin, Tex.    -   [caller on behalf of] Business XYZ    -   [call subject] Product A    -   [call subject rating]−2    -   [call billing] Jon Smith's business service provider C    -   [authenticated by] Jane Doe's cell phone, service provider C    -   [callee] Sarah Doe    -   [callee device] Business handset

With reference now to FIG. 3, there is depicted a block diagram of theflow of a call for context regulation in accordance with the method,system, and program of the present invention. As illustrated, origindevice 40 transfers a call request to intermediary device 42. The callrequest may be an off-hook condition for a wireline device or a networkservice connection request for a wireless device.

Preferably, a switching service receiving the call request establishesan origin call register 50 and retrieves a line subscriber profile forthe origin device line number. The line subscriber profile may beaccessed from an SCP or a data storage system external to trustedtelephone network 46.

Next, a context inference service may be initiated by the originswitching service. In particular, a context inference service may belocated within trusted network 46 as an IP or located outside trustedtelephone network 46 within a telco application server accessible vianetwork 20, such as context inference service 57.

The context inference service preferably determines context for a callincluding, but not limited to, who is calling, an intended callee, thedevice utilized to place the call, the location of the caller, thebilling method for the call, the path of the call, and/or the subjectmatter of the call. In addition, the context inference servicepreferably determines context for a call including, but not limited to,who receives a call, the path of line numbers utilized to access thecallee, the device utilized to receive the call, the location of thecallee, and the subject matter available for discussion by the callee.In addition, other categories of context may be determined.

To determine the context of the device utilized to place a call, theentity subscribing to the line number and/or an identifier for thedevice are preferably accessed. The first set of context clues isprovided to the context inference service by the line subscriberprofile. In particular, a line subscriber profile indicates theindividual or business that subscribes to a particular line number.Further, a line subscriber profile may indicate that a businesssubscribes to a telephone service, but provide that service issubscribed to for use by a particular employee or group of employees.

In addition, the line subscriber profile indicates the billinginformation and services subscribed to by the line subscriber. Billinginformation may provide context for whether the line number is abusiness line or personal line. In addition, a billing context for acall may indicate the party responsible for charges incurred in thecall.

Further, a line subscriber profile preferably indicates whether the linenumber is subscribed to for a wireline device, a wireless device, orboth. Additional context information may be inferred from whether awireline or wireless device is utilized.

In addition to determining the identity of a person associated with aline number, detecting and/or inferring the identity of the deviceitself is particularly advantageous context information. Preferably theidentity of the device may be inferred from the line subscriber profileand other information available. A device identity may include a devicename, a line number utilized to access the device, and the device type.The device name may be assigned by the line subscriber and output with asignal from the device. Alternatively, the line subscriber profile mayindicate the device name. The device type may indicate the type of lineutilized to access the device, including, but not limited to, wireline,wireless, or multiplexed. In addition, the device type may indicate thetype of device accessed by the line including, but not limited to, a cartelephone line, a computer modem line, a PBX land line, a residentialline, a business line, or an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)multiplexed line.

Further, determining or inferring the location of a device isadvantageous context information. For a wireless device, the location ofa device may be determined most precisely where a GPS tracking system isutilized by the origin device 40 or intermediary device 42, to determinethe exact geographical location of a caller. For a wireline device, thelocation of the device is fixed according to the location the service isinstalled for the number.

In addition, for both a wireline and wireless device, a general locationof the originated call may be determined from the geographical areacovered by the switching center receiving the call. Wireless devices arepreferably provided service by a particular tower or other signaldistribution point. The geographical location and area covered by thattower may provide a general location of the origin of a call. As theorigin device moves from one wireless coverage area to another, thelocation may be updated.

The context inference service may infer additional context from locationinformation. For example, the time zone of the caller, the direction ofmovement of the caller, and other location related information may beinferred from location information.

In addition to extending a dial tone to a caller, an identity of thecaller is preferably authenticated and loaded into origin call register50. A caller profile accessed according to the VID is then accessed andloaded into origin call register 50. The context inference servicepreferably utilizes the caller profile and VID as additional contextclues for the call.

The VID provides the context of who is placing the call. The callerprofile provides further context based on the billing information andservice subscriptions of the caller. For purposes of the presentinvention, the caller profile may indicate the business on behalf ofwhich a caller places calls and the expertise area of that caller.

In addition, a caller profile may include preferences for filteringcontext information depending on multiple factors. Such factors mayinclude, but are not limited to, the callee, the device placing thecall, the device receiving the call, the time of day, a caller'sschedule, and other variables selected by the caller.

The subject matter of a call may be determined by prompting a caller toprovide a voice or text entry indicating the subject matter of the call.Alternatively, the context inference service may infer the subjectmatter of a call based on the caller's schedule. The context inferenceservice may also infer the subject matter of a call based on thecaller's business, expertise, or the business associated with the linenumber utilized by the caller.

In addition, a caller profile may include multiple roles that a callertakes. For example, a caller may be a parent, a business person, acoach, and a volunteer. The context inference service may infer whichrole the caller is taking depending on other context or may prompt thecaller to select a role. Further, the caller may select, at origindevice 40, a role for the call when placing the call request.

The context information for the call is transferred to destinationdevice 44, such that the callee is provided with a context for the call.The context information available in destination call register 52 may befiltered prior to transmittal to destination device 44 according tofiltering preferences associated with the device, a line subscriber, orthe callee. In addition, destination device 44 may filter the contextdisplayed to a callee according to the device capabilities andpreferences selected for the device.

Current relevant events for a callee may be determined as part of thecontext of a call. In particular, an electronic calendar may be accessedaccording to a callee identity from a caller profile or from an externalcalendaring data management system. In addition, where other devices aredetected within a local network area of the origin device 40, electronicschedules and other event information may be accessed about a currentevent for the caller from the other devices or according to theidentities of other parties participating in an event with the caller. Acurrent relevant event may include a meeting, appointment, location,others involved in the event, duration of the event, and otherinformation that describes the previous, current, or future environmentsin which a callee may be located.

Advantageously, the destination service provider may initiate a contextinference service to determine the context of the recipient side of acall. Determining the context of the recipient side of a call may beperformed in a manner similar to that described with reference todetermining the context of the caller side of a call. In addition, aswill be further described, context inferences may be further enhancedwhen caller side and recipient side context information is combined.

In particular, the identity of the callee answering the call ispreferably authenticated and profiles accessed for the line linesubscriber and/or callee. Returning an RVID determined for the callee tothe caller is advantageous because the RVID preferably includes thecallee name and information about the transfer.

Once a context for a call is determined, then context based ratings maybe determined for the call. Context based ratings are preferablydetermined by a context rating service within a trusted telephonenetwork or a telco application server.

Ratings may include numerical scales, alphanumeric scales, and otherscale basis. For example, a numerical scale from “1 to 10” may ratedifferent aspects of the caller or callee, such as the caller'sknowledge of a subject. In another example, an alphanumerical scale mayrate the typical content of a call by a caller or callee similarly tothe ratings used by Motion Pictures of America (MPA). For example, acaller from a special interest group discussing the death penalty mightuse graphic terms and phrases to convey meaning, and therefore may havea context rating of “PG” or “R” associated with the call. A calleereceiving the call would be required to have approval to answer callswith the context rating or may decide to block all calls with ratingshigher than “PG”.

The context rating service may access multiple diverse databases todetermine context based ratings for a call. In particular, previousratings may be accesses from local databases, global databases and groupbased databases within trusted telephone network 46 or accessible vianetwork 20 outside trusted telephone network 46.

A caller or callee profile may include context based ratings. Inaddition, a profile for a business called on behalf of may includecontext based ratings. Further, ratings may be distinguished accordingto other portions of the context, such as a location or billing plan.

Advantageously, calls may be regulated according to the call context bya context regulation service. In particular, call regulation may includeblocking a call, screening a call, and other regulatory functions. Acaller may be regulated in the types of calls that may be placed. Inaddition, a callee may be regulated in the types of calls that may bereceived. For purposes of the present invention, a third party to a callpreferably defines the criteria for regulating the call according tocall context.

For purposes of illustration, the embodiment is described where a callmay be regulated at intermediary device 42 or destination device 44. Inalternate embodiments, a call may also be regulated at origin device 40.

Intermediary device 42 may access context regulation service 56 orcontext regulation service 51, where the context regulation servicedetermines whether a call should be regulated based on the call contextin view of third party regulatory criteria. In addition, destinationdevice 44 may access context regulation services 56 and 51, as well asan internal context regulation service 60. Further, multiple contextregulation services may be accessed simultaneously.

Context regulation services may access third party criteria from datastorage systems inside or outside trusted telephone network 46. Forexample, a context regulation service may determine third party criteriafrom regulation criteria designated by a line number subscriber, wherethe party utilizing the line is not the line number subscriber. Inanother example, a context regulation service may determine third partycriteria from regulation criteria designated by a telephone networkprovider, such as the controller of a PBX or call center.

In the present embodiment, for purposes of illustration, destinationdevice 44 includes a PBX 58 that controls distribution of incomingtelephone calls. In the example, PBX 58 includes a PBX controller 59that may access a context regulation service 60 within PBX 60 and mayaccess a context regulation service 56 via network 20. In alternateembodiments, origin device 40 and intermediary device 42 may alsoinclude a PBX or other network system. In addition, in alternateembodiments, destination device 44 may include a direct connection to atelephony device.

As an example of the flow of the present invention, intermediary device42 receives a call request from origin device 40. A context for the callis determined and transferred to destination device 44. PBX controller59 transfers the call context to context regulation service 60. Contextregulation service 60 then determines whether, according to the callcontext, the call should be completely blocked, transferred to ascreening destination device 64 for screening, or transferred tointended destination device 62 to reach the requested callee.

As another example of the flow of the present invention, intermediarydevice 42 receives a call request from origin device. A context for thecall is determined and utilized by context regulation service 56 todetermine whether the call should be blocked or transferred todestination device 44. In particular, the third party criteria isaccessed by context regulation service 56 from the requested linesubscriber regulation criteria.

One advantage of regulating calls at intermediary device 42 is the casewhere a third party may provide a wireless telephone service to anemployee, but still regulate calls using the wireless telephone serviceaccording to call context. In such a case, a regulation option mayinclude switching the billing for the call to the employee's billingplan, rather than the business's billing plan, where the contextindicates that the call is not business related and the business doesnot want to pay for the call.

Advantageously, the identities of parties to a call and other context ofthe call are monitored during the call and call context is dynamicallyadjusted. As a call context adjusts, the regulations associated with thecall context preferably also adjust.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is depicted an illustrative example ofregulating all calls received to a line according to third partycriteria in accordance with the method, system, and program of thepresent invention. Preferably, a context inference service determines acall context 90 for each incoming call including, but not limited to theidentity of the caller, the business represented by the caller, thesubject of the call, and the location of the call, as well as othercontext not depicted in the example.

Context regulation service 56 receives call context 90 and filtersthrough any third party regulations for the line receiving the call. Forexample, IBM context based criteria 92 indicate third party regulationsfor the line. In the example, regulations for calls include blockingindividuals and businesses and transferring calls to human resources(HR).

In the example, the caller identity is included in the list ofindividuals to transfer to HR. Therefore, context regulation service 56updates the call context to indicate the regulation of the call. Inparticular, regulated call context 98 indicates the updated call contextwith the regulation of the call indicated. In alternate embodiments,other types of updates may be made to the context to regulate a call.

In an alternate example, if an employee were placing a call to “JaneSmith” from the line, context regulation service 56 would transfer theemployee placing the call to human resources and allow human resourcesto contact “Jane Smith” and transfer the call to the employee if humanresources approves the call.

For a business or individual, blocking call to or from an individual orbusiness according to the identity of the individual or business, ratherthan just a line number used by that individual or business, isadvantageous. In particular, if a business were to only block the linenumber utilized by a head hunter, the head hunter could quickly changeto a new number and continue to call employees of the company withoffers.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is depicted an illustrative example ofregulating a call received according to third party criteria designatedfor a caller and callee pair in accordance with the method, system, andprogram of the present invention. Preferably, a context inferenceservice determines the context for a call including, but not limited to,the parties to the call, devices utilized for a call, line numbersaccessed for a call, service providers for a call, billing plan for acall, location of parties to the call, subject matter of the call,billed transactions occurring during a call, parties called on behalf offor a call, backup parties accessed during a call, path of a call, andother context related information.

In the example, a call context 70 is determined including the calleridentity, business called on behalf of, subject of the call, location ofthe caller, intended callee identity and business the callee receivescalls on behalf of. In addition, other portions of the context notdepicted may indicate the path of a call, ratings assigned to portionsof the context, billing plans for the call, service providers for thecall, scheduling of the parties to the call, and other availablecontext.

A context regulation service 56 preferably receives call context 70 anddetermines whether the call should be regulated. Context regulationservice 56 preferably accesses third party regulation criteria fordetermining call regulation. In the example, the third party criteria isIBM context based criteria 72. IBM context based criteria 72 is accessedfor the business on behalf of whom the call is intended to be received.In particular, the third party criteria may be accessed in associationwith a particular line or in association with a call received by anemployee at any line in order to regulate particular VID/RVID callpairs.

In the example, IBM context based criteria 72 includes the group ofintended callees to which the criteria is to apply. Here, theengineering group includes “Jon Doe”, the intended callee. Criteria tobe applied to other groups and individuals may also be designated by IBMand filtered according to each call.

For the designated group of callees calls are blocked according toindividual caller identities and according to business represented. Inaddition, for the designated group of callees calls are transferred tothe human resources (HR) department for screening according toindividual caller identity and businesses represented. Other types ofregulation may also be incorporated.

For the example, “Jane Smith”, the caller, is included in the transferfor screening category according to caller identity. Therefore, contextregulation service 56, regulates the call by redirecting the call pathto a screening callee. Where a call is screened, an employee may bereached or an automated process may be initiated. Preferably, thescreening process allows a business to determine if the call should becontinued with the intended callee or a message taken. In addition, thescreening process may allow for the caller to provide incentives to thebusiness for allowing the intended callee to receive the call. Further,the business may screen the call to determine whether the call should beblocked for future calls.

In addition, context regulation service 56 may access call context basedcriteria 74 in which the callee has personally designated criteria forregulating calls or a guardian or other authority has designatedcriteria for regulating calls. Here, the callee indicates blockingpreferences according to individual caller identity and businessesrepresented. Other types of regulation may also be incorporated. None ofthe criteria in callee context based criteria 74 are applicable to callcontext 70, however in alternate embodiments, call context 70 may beregulated according to both a third party and a callee criteria.

Context regulation service 56 adjusts call context 70 into regulatedcall context 78. In particular, the path of the call indicates that thecall has been redirected to HR for screening. The identity of thescreening callee is determined and the section of the businessrepresented by the screening callee is identified. Context regulationservice 56 may further interact with a context inference service whenadjusting the context of a call.

With reference now to FIG. 6, there is depicted an illustrative exampleof regulating an outgoing call according to third party criteriadesignated for a caller and callee pair in accordance with the method,system, and program of the present invention. In this example, a callcontext 80 indicates a caller identity and the section of businessrepresented by the caller. In addition, call context 80 indicates thesubject of the call, the intended callee and the business represented bythe intended callee. Here, the intended callee is the firstrepresentative available for “News Group ZXY”.

In this example, context regulation service 56 is regulating the callsthat may be placed by employees of a business. Context regulationservice 56 may be accessed from an origin device, intermediary device,or destination device, however advantageously call regulation isperformed before the call is directed by the intermediary device. Inaddition, the example may apply where a business line is regulated orwhere any line used by an employee is regulated.

IBM context based criteria 82 include criteria for regulating calls fromall employees of the business. As third party criteria, regulationsinclude blocking calls and transferring calls to network screeners. Forexample, where a call is placed to Canada and the recipient is anon-employee, the call may be screened prior to allowing the call tocontinue. In another example, between business hours, if the intendedcallee is included in the family group for an employee, then the callmay be screened. Screening may allow the employee to transfer chargesfor the call to the employee's billing plan or to provide additionalinformation about the call.

In the example, the business represented by the intended callee isindicated as a blocked business for all employees. Therefore, contextregulation service 56 preferably adjusts the path for the call, asindicated by regulated call context 84. When a call is blocked, amessage indicating the reason for the blocked call may be output to thecaller. For example, the message may indicate that call context did notindicate the call to be a business call.

While in this example, the entire call was blocked, in an alternateexample, the third party criteria may block the caller's identity frombeing transferred, where the third party does not want to intended partyto be able to capture the caller's identity. Further, regulation of acall may provide for flagging a call and monitoring that call forunauthorized business transactions or other context, where additionalcall regulation may occur during the call.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is illustrated an illustrative example ofregulating an outgoing call according to third party criteria for acaller and callee pair in accordance with the method, system, andprogram of the present invention. As depicted a call context 86indicates the caller identity, the business represented by the caller,the callee logged in for the call and the status of the callee.

Context regulation service 56 preferably receives call context 86 toregulate the call. In the example, a parent has designated criteria forregulating any calls received by or placed by a child, independent ofthe line utilized by the child for receiving or placing calls.Preferably, when the child's identity is detected as logging in to placeor answer a call, parent criteria 87 is automatically accessed toregulate the call.

In filtering call context 86 with the parent criteria 87, it isdetermined that the business represented by the caller is included in abusiness designated to be blocked from calling or receiving calls fromthe “Albert Smith”. Context regulation service 56 regulates the call byblocking the call. In particular, regulated call context 88 indicatesthe path of the call has been updated to block the call.

As another advantage, a parent or other third party may subscribe to orcompile groups of types of individuals and businesses. In the example,parent criteria 87 includes regulating calls from any individual orbusiness included in the pornography group. In other examples, othertypes of groups that include VIDs for individuals and businesses thatare not allowed to solicit minors may also be provided.

In the previous examples, the third party providing regulations forcalls was a business. In this example, the third party providingregulations for calls is a parent or other guardian. In alternateexamples, it might be advantageous for a court to regulate calls betweenparties to a case or between a prosecutor and a juror.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there is depicted a flow diagram of a signalflow and processing of a call in accordance with the method, system, andprogram of the present invention. A standard telephone device is assumedfor the “cl” origin device and destination device in the presentexample. However, a similar signal flow may be applied other types oforigin and destination devices, including server systems, privateswitching networks, and call centers. Further, the flow is describedwith reference to wireline devices, however, is not limited inapplication to wireline devices.

The caller lifts a handset creating an off-hook state in the origindevice and a corresponding change in state of an off-hook signal to thecentral office (step S1). In response to detecting an off-hook state inthe origin device, the central office establishes a register for thecall and requests a line subscriber profile from the SCP and/or anexternal network server (step S2). A line subscriber profile includingpreferred services and a billing plan is returned to the central office(step S3). The central office loads the line subscriber profile into thecall register (step S4) and extends a dial tone to the origin device(step S5).

The origin device then transmits dialed digits to the central office(step S6). A caller may utilize a keypad to enter a telephone number orutilize a voice dial feature if available. In addition, a caller mayprovide an intended callee identifier. Dialed digits may be received atother points in the process and loaded into the call register untilneeded for processing the call.

Next, the central office extends a call context request to a contextinference service available from an IP or telco application server (stepS7). A call context inference is initiated (step S8). The contextinference service preferably accesses and loads a caller profileaccording to VID into the origin call register. Utilizing the linenumber, line subscriber profile, VID and caller profile, the contextinference service preferably determines a context for the call.

The context inference service preferably filters the context anddesignates certain portions of the context for receipt by certainentities. The filtered call context is returned to the origin centraloffice (step S9). Next, the context is loaded into the call register(step S10).

Advantageously, a call regulation request is transferred to an IP ortelco application server functioning as a context regulation service(step S11). Next, the context regulation service initiates accessingthird party regulation criteria from internal and external databases(step S12). Thereafter, a regulated call context is returned to theorigin central office (step S13). The regulated call context mayindicate no regulation, regulation before the call, and/or regulationduring the call.

The call is preferably processed according to the regulated call context(step S14). In alternate embodiments, the origin device may include aPBX or call center that initiates regulation of the call before reachingthe origin central office. In addition, in alternate embodiments, adestination central office may initiate the call regulation request oran additional call regulation request. Further, the destination devicemay initiate the call regulation request.

With reference now to FIG. 9, there is illustrated a block diagram of acontext inference service in accordance with the method, system, andprogram of the present invention. Context inference service 57 ispreferably housed within a computing system including at least aprocessor, memory, system software, application software, and networksoftware that execute to provide a telco service.

In particular, context inference service 57 includes a context inferenceengine 120. Context inference engine 120 preferably determines thecontext for a call through information accessible for the call andthrough inferences from that information. In addition, context inferenceengine 120 may filter context information for each entity receiving thatinformation.

A filtering controller 122 preferably filters context determined bycontext inference engine 120 according to filtering preferences of thecaller. In addition, the line number subscriber may designate filteringpreferences for context including the line number.

A context database 124 preferably records and stores context for eachcall processed by context inference service 57. Context database 124 maybe later accessed to provide verification and context for billed calltransactions. In addition, context database 124 may store records oflengths of calls such that lengths of future calls may be predicted.

An interactive voice recognition unit (IVRU) 126 preferably prompts thecaller and callee to provide information required for determiningcontext and detects caller or callee entries. In addition, IVRU 126 mayprompt the caller and callee to designate additional preferences forfiltering context.

Referring now to FIG. 10, there is illustrated a block diagram of acontext regulation service in accordance with the method, system, andprogram of the present invention. Context regulation service 56 ispreferably housed within a computing system including at least aprocessor, memory, system software, application software, and networksoftware that execute to provide a telco service.

In particular, context regulation service 56 includes a contextregulation controller 130. Context regulation controller 130 preferablyreceives the context for a call, searches for relevant third partyregulation criteria, and determines a regulated call context for a callaccording to the third party regulation criteria.

A third party regulation criteria database 134 may store third partyregulation criteria utilized by context regulation controller 130. Inaddition, context regulation controller 130 may access third partyregulation criteria from databases external to context regulationservice 56.

An IVRU 136 may prompt a third party to provide regulation criteria fora particular call context or to enter regulation criteria in general.Additionally, IVRU 136 may prompt a caller and callee with informationabout the regulation of a particular call.

Referring now to FIG. 11, there is illustrated a high level logicflowchart of a process and program for determining call context inaccordance with the present invention. As depicted, the process startsat block 100 and thereafter proceeds to block 102. Block 102 illustratesa determination as to whether a call context request is received. If acall context request is not received, then the process iterates at block102.

If call context request is received, then the process passes to block104. A call context request may also include line subscriber profileinformation and other call information already loaded by the requestingservice provider.

Block 104 depicts initiating a caller/callee identity authenticationservice. Next, block 106 illustrates loading profiles according to theVID/RVID authenticated for the caller/callee. Alternatively, VID/RVIDfor the call may be transferred with the call context request.

Next, block 108 illustrates determining the identity of any devicesutilized in the call. Where a server enables a call from an individualtelephone device, the identities of the individual telephone device andthe server are preferably determined. Device identity may be determinedfrom the line subscriber identity, a device identity output by thedevice, the type of service subscribed to for the device, and otheravailable profile information.

Block 110 depicts determining the locations of any devices utilized inthe call. Location may be precisely detected from a GPS coordinate.Alternatively, location may be inferred within a general area accordingto the geographical area covered by an office switch or a wireless toweroriginating or terminating the call. Further, location may be determinedby the physical address assigned to a line number.

Block 112 illustrates determining the subject matter of a call. Subjectmatter may be inferred, for example, from services subscribed to by thecaller/callee, from previous subject matter of calls between theparties, from the location of the calling party, or from the deviceidentities. In addition, a party to a call may be prompted to indicatethe subject matter of a call.

Thereafter, block 114 depicts compiling the context information for acall. In compiling context information, the information utilized todetermine context is preferably consolidated into general contextcategories. In addition, block 115 illustrates filtering the contextinformation for a call according to caller and callee profilepreferences. Next, block 116 illustrates transferring the call contextto the requesting service provider.

Block 118 depicts initiating a call logging service and transferring thecall context to the call logging service, and the process ends. Inparticular, a caller or callee profile may indicate call loggingpreferences that are included in the context transferred to the calllogging service. Alternatively, the call logging service may access calllogging preferences for the caller, callee, or third party.

With reference now to FIG. 12, there is depicted a high level logicflowchart of a process and program for controlling a context regulationservice in accordance with the method, system, and program of thepresent invention. As illustrated, the process starts at block 150 andthereafter proceeds to block 152.

Block 152 depicts a determination as to whether or not a request forcall regulation is received. If a request is not received, then theprocess iterates at block 152. If a request is received, then theprocess passes to block 154.

Block 154 illustrates accessing the context for the call. The contextmay be accessed with the request for call regulation or from a contextinference service accessed by the context regulation service. Next,block 156 depicts accessing relevant third party regulation criteria.Third party regulation criteria is preferably filtered to determinethose portions of the criteria that are relevant for the currentcontext. Third party regulation criteria may be accessed for thirdparties that are the line subscribers to the line numbers utilized for acall. In addition, third party regulation criteria may be accessed forthird parties that are represented by a party to a call. Further, thirdparty regulation criteria for other types of third parties may beaccessed.

Block 158 depicts determining the regulations for the current callcontext according to the third party regulation criteria. Regulationcriteria may include blocking calls completely, transferring the call toa screening process, blocking portions of the context of a call fromaccess by one of the parties to the call, monitoring the call while inprogress and regulating certain actions, and other types of regulatoryactions that may be performed on a call. In addition, regulationcriteria may include not performing any regulation on a call. Forexample, while calls made by employees in general may be regulated,another criteria may require not regulating a manager's calls.

Block 160 illustrates controlling output of the regulated call contextto the requesting device. An origin device, intermediary device,destination device, or service may request the regulated call context.Next, block 162 depicts updating the call parties with the current callregulation, and the process ends. For example, a textual or audio outputmay be transferred to the origin and/or destination devices for outputto the parties to the call. In particular, where a call is transferredfor screening, the intended callee may still receive a textual or audioprompt indicating the regulated call path.

It is important to note that while the present invention has beendescribed in the context of a fully functioning data processing system,those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processes ofthe present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of acomputer readable medium of instructions and a variety of forms and thatthe present invention applies equally regardless of the particular typeof signal bearing media actually used to carry out the distribution.Examples of computer readable media include recordable-type media, suchas a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a RAM, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, andtransmission-type media, such as digital and analog communicationslinks, wired or wireless communications links using transmission forms,such as, for example, radio frequency and light wave transmissions. Thecomputer readable media may take the form of coded formats that aredecoded for actual use in a particular data processing system.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A method for regulating calls, comprising: receiving, at a contextregulation service, a request to determine regulation requirements for acall from a network switch; detecting, at a context regulation service,a context for said call from a first party to a second party via aparticular line, wherein a third party different from said first partyis a line subscriber to said particular line made available to saidfirst party for said call; accessing, at said context regulationservice, a selection of context based criteria specified by said thirdparty for said particular line; comparing, at said context regulationservice, said context for said call with said selection of context basedcriteria; and only directing, by said context regulation service, forsaid network switch to establish a communication channel between saidfirst party and said second party through said particular line if saidcontext is acceptable within said selection of context based criteria.2. The method for regulating calls according to claim 1, furthercomprising: directing, by said context regulation service, for saidnetwork switch to route said call to a screening party if said contextis not acceptable within said selection of context based criteria. 3.The method for regulating calls according to claim 1, wherein saidcontext regulation service is communicatively accessible to said networkswitch outside a trusted telephone network handling said call via asecure communication gateway to a packet-switching network.
 4. Themethod for regulating calls according to claim 1, wherein said contextfor said call indicates whether said call is a business related call bysaid first party and said selection of context based criteria specifiesat least one rule for regulating calls over said particular line if saidcall is a business related call and at least one other rule forregulating calls over said particular line if said call is not abusiness related call.
 5. The method for regulating calls according toclaim 1, wherein said context comprises at least one of a firstgeographical location of said first party and a second geographicallocation of said second party and said selection of context basedcriteria specifies at least one rule for regulating calls over saidparticular line to at least one of said first geographical location ofsaid first party and said second geographical location of said secondparty.
 6. The method for regulating calls according to claim 1, saidmethod further comprising: continually monitoring said context for saidcall once said communication channel is established between said firstparty and said second party, wherein said context for said callcomprises an actual identity of said first party and an actual identityof said second party; and only maintaining said communication channelbetween said first party and said second party if said continuallymonitored context is allowed when compared with said selection ofcontext based criteria specified by said third party for said particularline.
 7. The method for regulating calls according to claim 1, whereinsaid context indicates a type of telephony device used by said firstparty.
 8. The method for regulating calls according to claim 1, whereinsaid context indicates a type of billing plan for telephony servicesavailable to said first party.
 9. The method for regulating callsaccording to claim 1, wherein said context indicates a device thatauthenticates an identity of said first party.
 10. A system forregulating calls, comprising: a communication channel enabled by acommunication system; a context regulation service communicativelyconnected within said communication system for receiving a request todetermine regulation requirements for a call handled by saidcommunication system; said context regulation service comprising meansfor detecting a context of said call initiated via a particular linebetween a first party and a second party, wherein a third partydifferent from said first party is a line subscriber to said particularline made available to said first party for said call; said contextregulation service comprising means for accessing a selection of contextbased criteria specified by said third party for said particular line;said context regulation service comprising means for comparing saidcontext for said call with said selection of context based criteria forvoid particular; and said context regulation service comprising meansfor only establishing said communication channel between said firstparty and said second party through said particular line if said contextis acceptable within said selection of context based criteria.
 11. Thesystem for regulating calls according to claim 10, further comprising:said context regulation service further comprising means for directingsaid call to a screening party if said context is not acceptable withinsaid selection of context based criteria.
 12. The system for regulatingcalls according to claim 10, wherein said context regulation service iscommunicatively accessible to said network switch outside a trustedtelephone network handling said call via a secure communication gatewayto a packet-switching network.
 13. The system for regulating callsaccording to claim 10, wherein said context for said call indicateswhether said call is a business related call by said first party andsaid selection of context based criteria specifies at least one rule forregulating calls over said particular line if said call is a businessrelated call and at least one other rule for regulating calls over saidparticular line if said call is not a business related call.
 14. Thesystem for regulating calls according to claim 10, wherein said contextcomprises at least one of a first geographical location of said firstparty and a second geographical location of said second party and saidselection of context based criteria specifies at least one rule forregulating calls over said particular line to at least one of said firstgeographical location of said first party and said second geographicallocation of said second party.
 15. The system for regulating callsaccording to claim 10, said system further comprising: means forcontinually monitoring said context for said call once saidcommunication channel is established between said first party and saidsecond party, wherein said context for said call comprises an actualidentity of said first party and an actual identity of said secondparty; and means for only maintaining said communication channel betweensaid first party and said second party if said continually monitoredcontext is allowed when compared with said selection of context basedcriteria specified by said third party for said particular line.
 16. Thesystem for regulating calls according to claim 10, wherein said contextindicates a type of telephony device used by said first party.
 17. Thesystem for regulating calls according to claim 10, wherein said contextindicates a type of billing plan for telephony services available tosaid first party.
 18. The system for regulating calls according to claim10, wherein said context indicates a device that authenticates anidentity of said first party.
 19. A computer program product forregulating calls, comprising: a recording medium; means, recorded onsaid recording medium, for receiving a request to determine regulationrequirements for a call from a network switch: means, recorded on saidrecording medium, for detecting a context of said call initiated via aparticular line between a first party and a second party, wherein athird party different from said first party is a line subscriber to saidparticular line made available to said first party for said call; means,recorded on said recording medium, for accessing a selection of contextbased criteria specified by said third party for said particular line;means, recorded on said recording medium, for comparing said context forsaid call with said selection of context based criteria for saidparticular line specified by said third party; and means, recorded onsaid recording medium, for only directing said network switch toestablish a communication channel between said first party and saidsecond party through said particular line if said context is acceptablewithin said selection of context based criteria.
 20. The computerprogram product for regulating calls according to claim 19, furthercomprising: means, recorded on said recording medium, for directing saidcall to a screening party if said context is not acceptable within saidselection of context based criteria.
 21. The computer program productfor regulating calls according to claim 19, further comprising: means,recorded on said recording medium, for continually monitoring saidcontext for said call once said communication channel is establishedbetween said first party and said second party, wherein said context forsaid call comprises an actual identity of said first party and an actualidentity of said second party; and means, recorded on said recordingmedium, for only maintaining said communication channel between saidfirst party and said second party if said continually monitored contextis allowed when compared with said selection of context based criteriaspecified by said third party for said particular line.
 22. A method forregulating outgoing calls, comprising: detecting an identity of a partycalled via a particular line; determining a selection of third partycriteria governing calls via said particular line according to saididentity of said called party; and only establishing a communicationchannel via said particular line between a calling party and calledparty if said called party is acceptable within said selection of thirdparty criteria.
 23. A method for screening calls, comprising: detectinga context for a call from a first party to an intended second party,wherein said context indicates at least one from among a location ofsaid first party, a type of telephony device used by said first party,and a device used to authenticate an identity of said first party;responsive to said context requiring prescreening of said call,transferring said call to a screening party; detecting an authenticatedidentity of said screening party: adjusting said context to indicatesaid identity of said screening party and said regulated path to saidscreening party: and distributing said adjusted context to said intendedsecond party.
 24. The method for screening calls according to claim 23,further comprising: establishing a communication channel between saidfirst party and said screening party.
 25. The method for screening callsaccording to claim 23, further comprising: establishing a communicationchannel between said second party and said screening party.
 26. A systemfor screening calls, comprising: a communication system for detecting acall from a first party to an intended second party; means fordetermining a context for said call, wherein said context indicates atleast one from among a location of said first party, a type of telephonydevice used by said first party; and a device used to authenticate anidentity of said first party; means responsive to said context requiringprescreening of said call, for transferring said call to a screeningparty; means for detecting an authenticated identity of said screeningparty: means for adjusting said context to indicate said identity ofsaid screening party and said regulated path to said screening party;and means for distributing said adjusted context to said intended secondparty.
 27. The system for screening calls according to claim 26, furthercomprising: means for establishing a communication channel between saidfirst party and said screening party.
 28. The system for screening callsaccording to claim 26, further comprising: means for establishing acommunication channel between said second party and said screeningparty.
 29. A computer program product for screening calls, comprising: arecording medium; means, recorded on said recording medium, fordetermining a context for a call from a first party to an intendedsecond party, wherein said context indicates at least one from among alocation of said first party, a type of telephony device used by saidfirst party, and a device used to authenticate an identity of said firstparty; means, recorded on said recording medium, for transferring saidcall to a screening party where said context indicates a prescreeningrequirement; means, recorded on said recording medium, for detecting anauthenticated identity of said screening party; means, recorded on saidrecording medium, for adjusting said context to indicate said identityof said screening party and said regulated path to said screening party;and means, recorded on said recording medium, for distributing saidadjusted context to said intended second party.
 30. The computer programproduct for screening calls according to claim 29, further comprising:means, recorded on said recording medium, for establishing acommunication channel between said first party and said screening party.31. The computer program product for screening calls according to claim29, further comprising: means, recorded on said recording medium, forestablishing a communication channel between said second party and saidscreening party.